Metal fence-post.



lo. 7|4,275. Patented NOV. 25,1902.

T. BEERuwER. METAL `FENITE PUST.

(Application filed Mar. 18, 1902.)

(No Mndel.)`

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THEoDoRE nnaowna'or ADAMS COUNTY, INDIANA.

Nl ETAl FENCE-POST.

SFFIATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,275, dated November 25., 1902.

Y Application filed March 13,' 1902. Serial No. 98,126. (No model.)

To all` whom it may concern:

Be it known that LTHEODORE BEERBOWER, residing in the county of Adams and State of Indiana, have invented certainnew and useful' Improvements in Metal Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that type of metallic fence-posts especially designed for easily, quickly, and effectively attaching wires or rail members thereto and having means for securely anchoring the posts; and the said invention seeks to provide a post of the kind noted of a very simple character, which shall be cheap to manufacture and which can be readily set up for use without the requirement of any special tools or implements therefor.

In its more generic nature my invention lies in the peculiar construction of the lower end of the post, the special adaptation of said peculiarly-formed lower end for connecting with the anchoring stay rods or cables, and in its more subordinate-features consists in certain details of construction and peculiar combination of parts, all of which will be hereinafter fully explained,and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference bethe stay devices connected therewith.

ing had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a perspective view of my metallic post applied to use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the corner-posts and illustrates Fig. 3 is a perspective View showing the bendable portions turned to their operative positions, the cross portions of the two stay members being clamped in place and secured from pulling endwise from the post. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a section of the lower end of the corner-post, said section being taken on a horizontal plane extending through two of the apertures 1b. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of one of the posts, showing the manner of fastening the stay members thereto. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the lower end of one of the corner-post blanks with the lower or bendable portions extended. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional viewV showing the'manner of attaching wooden rails to the fence-post.

My improved fence-post is made,preferably, of wrought iron or steel and when for a corner-post is first rolled or otherwise made into `by reference to the drawings. 4the corner-post has the two members l la, and

a right or other required angle shape in horizontal section, as will be clearly understood The body of each of these members is provided near its outer edge with the apertures lb lbto receive the strands2 when fence-wire is used,as shown in Fig. l, or with the eyes 3 (illustrated in Fig. 7) when rails are used. The eyes 3 are formed by driving staples through the aper-A tures in the post from the inner side thereof and on through the rail, clenching the same on the outer face of the rail, as shown in Fig. 7.

The lower end of one of the angle members has its lower extremity extended into a por tion le, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, and the said portion lC in the practical arrangement of my invention has the full width of the part la, whereby when bent' under the part l, as shown in Fig. 2, a solid flat bottom or anchorplate is provided for the post, and to retain said anchor-plate an in a fixed position and in connection with the member 1 the said member 1 is formed with a pendent tenon ld, adapted to extend through a notch lX on the inner edge of the extended portion 1 `of the post when said portion is bent to form the bottom and the said portion ld is adapted to clench under the bottom as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

As will be noticed by reference to Fig. l, the lower end of the post is inserted a suitable distance into the ground and rigidly held by a supplemental anchoring meansand stay devices, the peculiar arrangement and connection thereof with the anchor part of the post forming an essential feature of my invention. When my improved post is for corners, two supplemental anchoring members are employed that project across the bottom of the :post and outward at right angles to eachother. Said members consist of the rods orcables 5 5, one end of the one, 5, extending under the bottom portion a; of the post and terminating in a hook 5, which engages one of the free edges of the said bottom portion x, said member 5 being ,further secured to the said portion a: by a rivet at 5d, as shown. The other stay, 5, extends under the bottom a: of the post at right angles to the stay 5, passing under the said stay 5, (which at the proper point is provided with the loop 5X to IOO permit thereof,) then over the tenon l, and also terminates in a hook portion which engages the other free edge of the bottom Which hook, together with the rivet 5e and the loop 5", securely holds the said stay 5'um in place.

By attaching the stay or anchor rods 5 5a to the bottom a? of the post in the manner shown a very simple, inexpensive, and effective means is provided for joining the ends of the anchoring stay rods or cables without the necessity of using bolts,nuts, or Wedge-pieces.

For anchoring an intermediate post consisting of a single fiat member, with the portion 1 bent up to form the bottom x, the an choring cable or stay 5a only is used.

The anchoring stays or cables 5 and 5a are fixedly held from pulling away from their buried positions by dead-weights in the nature of heavy stones or metal plates 8 8, laid across or made fast to the other end thereof. When stones are used, I prefer to dig trenches, into which the stones can be snugly fitted, so that any tendency of pull on the cables or rods 5 and 6 will be transmitted to the stones and through them against the solid Walls of the trenches.

To further brace the posts, brace-rods 9 9 are employed, having engagement at their upper ends with the post and at their lower ends made fast to the stays 5 and 5a. By anchoring the posts in the manner described and illustrated it is obvious that lateral displacement thereof is prevented, and the post is held rigid under all conditions of the weather.

Slight changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a fence-post bent into angle shape to form two vertical members 1 and l, one of said members having a pendent extension bent inward at right angles to form a horizontal anchor-plate x, the other member having a tenon adapted to bend and irfi/star clench under the plate x; stay-rods projected at right angles to each other, from the posts, 5o

said rods crossing each other at the plate fr, said plate and the rods having means for interlocking, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

2. A fence-post having its sides at an angle to each other, one of said sides having a pendent extension, bent inward in a horizontal plane to form an anchor-plate as, and having a notch in one edge, the other side having a tenon for engaging said notch and clenching under the plate the stays 5 5a, extended at right angles to each other, and having at their inner ends, bent portions, adapted to hook over the free sides of the member as, and bracerods joining the post and the stay-rods, all being arranged as shown and for the purposes described.

3. A fence-post having the two vertical members l la, bent at an angle to each other, a pendent portion l forming an extension of the member l, said pendent portion being bent inwardly at a right angle to the vertical members to form the anchor-plate the notch 1X on the inner edge of the pendent portion 1c; the tenon 1d, extending downwardly from the lower end of the vertical member l, and adapted, when the portion lc is bent into the bottom member to be received into the notch lx and bent up against said bottom; ancholL ing members 5 5, having hooked portions at their inner ends for engaging the bottom member x, and crossing each other at right angles underneath said bottom, the one 5a of said members extending across the upwardly-bent tenon 1d and riveted to the bottom a; at the forward side of said tenon, the member 5 being riveted to the bottom fr, and passing over the member 5* at the other side of the tenon at a point between its rivet and its hooked end;

` and brace-rods joining the post and the stays,

as specified and for the purposes set forth.

THEODORE BEERBOWER.

Witnesses:

THEO. FETrnRs, W. E. BooHER. 

